Blast victims’ kin stage protest at Sigachi site, allege negligence in search operation

Grieving families of missing workers at Sigachi staged a protest demanding immediate recovery of bodies. Amid emotional outbursts, they accused officials of negligence. Sujatha, whose nephew had just joined the firm, led the demand for answers and accountability

Sangareddy: Tensions flared at the Sigachi Chloro Chemicals blast site on Tuesday as irate family members of missing workers staged a protest, demanding swift identification and handover of the deceased. The protest erupted after the removal of debris was halted for a while, prompting the anxious kin to confront the police and demand continuation of the search operations.

Anguished relatives, many of whom had been waiting at the site since Monday morning, accused officials of negligence in the ongoing rescue and recovery efforts. The situation turned chaotic briefly as dozens of distraught family members gathered at the site, shouting slogans and pressuring officials to resume the search.

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Sujatha, who lost her nephew S Justin (20) in the incident, was among those leading the protest. “I want the government to hand over Justin to me. We won’t return home until they tell us what exactly happened to him,” she said.

Justin, a resident of Bandlaguda in Patancheru, had joined the company as a casual worker just last Friday after failing his Intermediate examination. He had worked for only two days before the explosion occurred. His mother had passed away earlier due to illness, and Justin had taken up the job to support his father.

Sujatha’s grief echoed the anguish of several others at the site, who shared similar stories of personal loss and desperation. Many were seen raising slogans against the government, police, and factory management, holding them responsible for the tragedy and the slow pace of the recovery operation.